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Political storm over IRRRB project rumbles on
Today, the Star Tribune‘s Jennifer Bjorhus follows up her Sunday story about IRRRB funding for a failed, then resurrected, Democratic telemarketing firm. This story focuses on state law’s that allow such transactions, even if they “smell bad” to the general public. Minnesota Legislative Auditor Jim Nobles said he would examine the loans made by the Iron Range…
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On ‘Love and Profanity’
It’s true, I haven’t written a book since my 2008 release “Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range.” I made one failed attempt at a novel, and have considered writing other nonfiction titles at different times, but frankly I got busy with the radio show and young kids. I write 5,000-10,000 words a week, just not…
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New future for Old Central?
Last year we learned that a group of investors was exploring the idea of starting a brewpub restaurant in the Old Central School in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Earlier this week community members met with architects for the project to ask questions and air their concerns about the idea. The idea is still very much in…
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Looking ahead for Duluth as Ness gives final State of the City
Monday night, Duluth Mayor Don Ness gave his final State of the City address as he looks ahead to his last year in office. In a Peter Passi Duluth News Tribune story today, Ness is quoted advocating for a new library at First Ave. E. and Superior Street and discussing improvements to trails and other…
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Range schools show strong grad rates, but challenges loom
Last week, the state Department of Education released graduation rates for Minnesota high schools. Graduation rates across the state increased to 81 percent last spring, and also increased for all groups of students tracked by the state. Here in Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range region, our rates were higher, often much more so. Here’s a rundown of what…
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Divining the economic power of the arts
Last week, the Creative Minnesota initiative released a comprehensive report on the economic impact of the arts in communities and regions across the state. Download it here. Nearly 1,300 independent arts organizations in the eight arts funding regions of Minnesota participated in the study, including hundreds here in Northern Minnesota. The top line numbers? The arts contribute $1.2 billion…
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Iron ore tumble highlights hole in mining debate
Over the past two weeks of the Minnesota legislative session, mining politics and environmental regulation has dominated the headlines here on the Mesabi Iron Range. I’m not sure how many people not directly involved in the debate read the stories. I can barely choke down the blend of rhetoric and repetition myself, but I suppose regular folks…
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Minnesota will take you back
With the notable exception of Minnesota Lynx WNBA fans, most who follow our state’s professional sports teams survive on memories of competitive Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves and North Stars squads. They must, in order to tolerate those same franchises, or their grammatically incorrect replacements (I’m looking at you, “The Minnesota Wild”) today. Last year’s Minnesota Twins…
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Great Northern Radio Show metro debut
It’s no secret that more than half of the people who read this site aren’t located on the terra firma of the Mesabi Iron Range. A goodly segment of you, the ones who aren’t spambots, live in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Perhaps, and I might be dreaming here, you’ve seen me talk about my Great Northern Radio…
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Star Tribune investigates IRRRB political ties
This morning the Star Tribune published an investigative story by Jennifer Bjorhus exploring political connections between the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board and the projects under its sway. Bjorhus paid particular attention to a 2006 IRRRB project funding an Eveleth telemarketing firm that primarily did calls for Democratic-leaning candidates and causes. For years, prominent Democratic candidates and political groups…
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Great Scott! ‘Doc Brown’ visits Iron Range hot spot
For most in my generation, the actor Christopher Lloyd is best known as the eccentric recluse scientist in the “Back to the Future” movies who sends Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly to the past, the future, the past again, and then finally the present. Today, that present is past, while the previous future is now…
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Film highlights rugged northern MN endurance race
Tonight at the Minnesota Discovery Center in Chisholm (formerly Ironworld), you can catch a free showing of “Among the Wild,” a documentary about the Arrowhead 135, an annual cold-weather endurance race in Northern Minnesota. Here is more information from the Minnesota Discovery Center. The Arrowhead 135 race is an annual endurance race which is held…
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Rough weekend for tough-looking fish in Walker
The annual Eelpout Festival was held this past weekend in Walker, Minnesota, something I mentioned in my last Great Northern Radio Show which we broadcast live from this little town on big Leech Lake. Eelpout are — to be blunt — ugly, bottom-feeding fish that taste good fried if you can get past their general appearance. According to this TV news report,…
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Magnetation announces ‘indefinite idle’ of Keewatin plant
After Mesabi Nugget announced a “warm idle” a couple weeks ago, another Iron Range iron ore producer announced an old fashioned “cold idle” today. Magnetation, the scram mining and iron concentrate producer based in Itasca County, announced today it would indefinitely shut down its Plant One facility near Keewatin. The plant, Magnetation’s smallest, will be…
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Time to retire state’s ‘flag by committee’
If you ask folks to name something about the Minnesota state flag, most would remark “It’s blue.” And, for the most part, it is blue. With some gobbledegook in the middle. Now, perhaps you’ve spent some time looking closer at that gobbledegook, enough time to realize that it looks like one of those old newspaper…